Blondie lights up Australia

A touring muso for decades, Debbie Harry is known not just for her love of music and edgy songwriting, but for her iconic fashion, the ’70s and ’80s party scene, and some super-cool cars.

But it was perhaps her classic ‘pony car’, a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro coupe, that Harry drove as her career began to take off in the early 1970s, that set this passion alight.

While at the time it was considered merely a used car, or as Harry described it, “an inheritance from her mother”, the Camaro ultimately provided more than a means to an end, transporting her and her bandmates to the gigs that would help them forge their way in the Glam Rock scene.

Aside from being Harry’s work ride, it was also her ‘off duty’ around-town car, taking her around New York City and to popular nearby destinations like Coney Island and to the beach.

With many of its own stories, including as a shelter from the storm – or, in Harry’s case, as a safe haven after a fire ripped through her 17th Street New York apartment – the car’s life came to an end after its clutch failed in 1977, just before Harry headed off to tour the UK.

Although Harry was committed to having the car saved – legend has it she drove it backwards down the Avenue of Americas to a garage, reverse being the only remaining gear that worked – once she’d returned from the UK she found it had been destroyed, the workshop having deemed the car beyond repair.

The lyrics of Blondie’s I’m on E related to the incident and Harry’s reaction to this important part of her life, now gone…

Singing about or referring to cars wasn’t a one-off for Harry. Many of the songs she’s written have referenced them, often alluding to the sense of freedom they provide and represent. This includes the first-ever rap song to reach number one on the US charts, Blondie’s Rapture.

Perhaps though, it’s Harry’s innate bold and rebellious spirit, mirrored in both her music and personal interests, that has solidified her status as a cultural icon who seamlessly blends rock and roll with a touch of automotive allure.

This has been displayed through Harry’s active involvement in the racing world, participating in events like the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, along with many editorial photos (including the 1978 Plastic Letters album cover) and candid images featuring Harry positioned alongside, inside, on top of, or even underneath cars.

One of the most iconic shots of Harry, which is also featured on Blondie’s Instagram page to promote Harry’s memoir, FACE IT, shows the singer crawling out of crashed car that’s come to a rest on its roof. And like many iconic photos (and cars), there is reportedly a very cool story behind it.

As Blondie recorded at the nearby Rockefeller Center Studio, Harry, Chris Stein (Blondie co-founder and guitarist) and photographer Bob Gruen, who was documenting the recording, took a break. Coming across the scene of a car accident, Stein suggested Harry climb in and crawl out as if it was her car crash. Gruen is said to have only taken one spur-of-the-moment shot, the image that is now known as the famous ‘Car Wreck’ photo.

Gruen went on to capture Harry’s love for cars in many other photos, but it was her bandmate, friend, and at one time romantic partner, Stein, who – with camera in hand – represented the more personal and innate connection between them: a passion and love, which like Harry’s music will always be an iconic part of rock-and-roll culture.

And now, Australians will soon have a rare opportunity to experience the phenomenon that is Blondie for themselves, as Harry and the band join other rock icons including Alice Cooper, The Psychedelic Furs, Wheatus, and Palaye Royale, along with Aussie bands, Wolf Mother, and Cosmic Psychos, as they tour Australia’s east coast, kicking off in Melbourne on Saturday, April 20.

This ‘bucket list’ event will then play in Sydney on April 25, on the Gold Coast on April 27, and in Brisbane on April 28.

For more information and for tickets head to the Pandemonium 2024 website.